Feeding Alpacas

[Farmer Jim]

This is my first post here I found you yesterday an I like what I read.

Here goes I started a farm this fall I have 3 males and 5 females with 2 cria. I have built individual holders for rubber bowls so they eat in their own dish. My question is when we feed them there are always a few that gobble their food then go to the others and snatch food from them , We have been standing there pushing them out of the way and is getting hard some days to control them. Should we be doing this policing or should we just put the bowls of food out and let them go ?

Thanks

Farmer Jim

 

[ksalvagno]

It really depends on if the other alpacas are getting their fair share of feed. I actually use different pens to feed my alpacas. I have a couple girls that need beefing up and I have a couple girls that will eat everything they can. I put the piggy girls together in their own stall and then they eat the proper amount. You want to make sure that the females with crias get plenty of feed.

If you can't separate, then you may have to stand guard to keep them away from others feed. Maybe even feed the piggy ones outdoors and keep the others indoors.